Empowering Girls in Engineering and Robotics

Hi! I'm Ananya Tadigadapa, a senior in high school from State College, PA. From a young age, I’ve always loved puzzles and solving problems. Using a LEGO robotics kit, I solved problems around my house, like building a fish feeder when we went on vacation. I love being able to design, build, and program a solution to life. When I'm not working on small projects, I enjoy playing the flute and baking cheesecakes. 

 

I am passionate about addressing the gender gap in STEM. In middle school, I noticed that there was not much participation from girls in STEM clubs. Digging deeper, this was because many girls are not exposed to engineering from a young age, leaving them reluctant to participate when they are older. In contrast, I was encouraged in engineering as a kid, which was crucial to my continued interest in it. This motivated me to create this program where elementary and middle school girls learn about the engineering process by building a robot, in 2018. After running workshops with local Girl Scouts troops for two years, I applied was selected to be an EngineerGirl Ambassador in an outreach program sponsored by the National Academy of Engineering.